US police to charge brothers after kidnap

US police have interrogated three brothers Wednesday as grim details began to emerge about how three young Ohio women were kidnapped and held captive for 10 years in an unremarkable city home.

Cleveland police chief Michael McGrath said he expected the trio, a group of men in their fifties, to be charged later in the day after a crime that left many wondering how it could have gone undetected for so long.

"We have confirmation they were bound and there were chains and ropes in the hall," McGrath told NBC television's Today Show, near the home in a working class district of Cleveland from which the women were rescued on Monday.

"The investigative task force team, which is comprised of the FBI and Cleveland officers, has been interviewing the victims since last evening and they'll continue today," he said.

He said that until the interviews were complete it will not be possible to describe in detail how they were treated, and said he could not confirm reports that the captives had had multiple pregnancies.

McGrath said they had been allowed out of the house "very rarely."

"They were released out in the backyard once in a while I believe," he said, adding: "Their physical wellbeing was very good considering the circumstances."

"Currently, today, we are interviewing the suspects that were arrested here the night before last. They are talking," he said.

Amanda Berry, 27, Gina DeJesus, 23, and Michelle Knight, 32, were freed from a home on Cleveland's Seymour Avenue on Monday, around ten years after they had each disappeared in separate incidents.

The occupant of the home, a 52-year-old former school bus driver of Puerto Rican origin, Ariel Castro, has been detained, along with his brothers, Pedro, 54, and Onil, 50.

Neighbours have expressed shock that the young women -- long feared dead -- could have been held for so many years in an unassuming home belonging to a man who never raised any suspicions in the working class neighbourhood.

The three were rescued after one of the captives managed to alert a neighbour, who broke down the door to free her and the six-year-old daughter she apparently bore as a prisoner.

Police responding to a desperate 911 emergency call found two more women in the detached home with American and Puerto Rican flags on the porch.

Berry's grandmother Fern Gentry spoke to the once-missing teen by phone from Tennessee in a call broadcast by a local ABC News affiliate.

"I'm glad to have you back," Gentry said.

"I'm glad to be back," Berry said, in the first publicly released recording of her voice since the panicked 911 call after her escape.

"I thought you were gone," the grandmother said.

"Nope, I'm here."

Police confirmed that Berry has a six-year-old daughter, Jocelyn, apparently born while she was in captivity. A picture was released showing Berry smiling with her sister and daughter at the hospital.

Berry was last seen on April 21, 2003, when she left work at a fast food restaurant just a few blocks from her home.

DeJesus was 14 when she vanished while walking home from school on April 2, 2004. Knight, who was 20 at the time of her disappearance, was last seen at a cousin's house on August 23, 2002.

Some reports have begun to question how the police could have missed signs of the kidnapping for so long, but McGrath insisted that he was absolutely confident that his officers had not missed a chance for an earlier rescue.

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Bangladesh shuts 18 garment factories

BANGLADESH has shut down 18 garment plants in an attempt to prevent a repeat of last month's factory collapse outside Dhaka, where the death toll has passed 800, with rescuers pulling dozens more bodies from the rubble.

The announcement of the closures came days after Bangladesh agreed with the International Labour Organisation to give safety "the highest consideration" amid government fears that Western garment firms might start sourcing goods from other countries.

"Sixteen factories have been closed down in Dhaka and two in Chittagong," textile minister Abdul Latif Siddique told reporters in the capital, adding that more plants would be shut as part of strict new measures to ensure safety.

"We'll ensure ILO standards in terms of compliance," said Siddique, who heads a newly created high-powered panel to inspect the impoverished country's 4500 garment factories in an effort to avoid fresh disasters.

"We have seen that those who claim to be the best compliant factories in Bangladesh have not fully abided by building regulations."

The death toll from Bangladesh's worst industrial disaster hit 803 on Wednesday.

Brigadier General Siddiqul Alam Sikder told AFP the stench of bodies trapped in the lower floors and under beams indicated the toll would rise as cranes and bulldozers kept clearing debris.

"We're expecting to find some bodies because we still haven't reached the bottom. We've finished around 70 per cent of the job," Sikder said.

Workers drawn from the army and fire service wore masks to ward off the smell as they continued to pull bodies from the rubble of the nine-storey building in the town of Savar, a suburb of Dhaka.

More than 3,000 garment workers were on shift on April 24 when the nine-storey Rana Plaza complex crumbled as they were turning out clothing for Western retailers such as Britain's Primark and the Spanish label Mango.

A total of 2437 people were earlier rescued from the ruins, authorities say.

Efforts to identify bodies were being hampered by their decomposition, officials said, adding that relief workers were taking DNA samples from the victims to match with relatives.

Many bodies were found in the staircases. Panicked workers had raced to stairwells in a rush to get out of the building after hearing a loud noise but the compound collapsed within five minutes, trapping them, officials said.

The disaster was the latest in a string of deadly accidents to hit the nation's textile industry. Last November, a factory fire killed 111 garment workers.

A preliminary government investigation blamed the collapse on the vibrations of giant electricity generators. Police have arrested 12 people including the complex's owner and four garment factory owners in connection with the disaster.

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Bangladesh shuts 18 garment factories

BANGLADESH has shut down 18 garment plants in an attempt to prevent a repeat of last month's factory collapse outside Dhaka, where the death toll has passed 800, with rescuers pulling dozens more bodies from the rubble.

The announcement of the closures came days after Bangladesh agreed with the International Labour Organisation to give safety "the highest consideration" amid government fears that Western garment firms might start sourcing goods from other countries.

"Sixteen factories have been closed down in Dhaka and two in Chittagong," textile minister Abdul Latif Siddique told reporters in the capital, adding that more plants would be shut as part of strict new measures to ensure safety.

"We'll ensure ILO standards in terms of compliance," said Siddique, who heads a newly created high-powered panel to inspect the impoverished country's 4500 garment factories in an effort to avoid fresh disasters.

"We have seen that those who claim to be the best compliant factories in Bangladesh have not fully abided by building regulations."

The death toll from Bangladesh's worst industrial disaster hit 803 on Wednesday.

Brigadier General Siddiqul Alam Sikder told AFP the stench of bodies trapped in the lower floors and under beams indicated the toll would rise as cranes and bulldozers kept clearing debris.

"We're expecting to find some bodies because we still haven't reached the bottom. We've finished around 70 per cent of the job," Sikder said.

Workers drawn from the army and fire service wore masks to ward off the smell as they continued to pull bodies from the rubble of the nine-storey building in the town of Savar, a suburb of Dhaka.

More than 3,000 garment workers were on shift on April 24 when the nine-storey Rana Plaza complex crumbled as they were turning out clothing for Western retailers such as Britain's Primark and the Spanish label Mango.

A total of 2437 people were earlier rescued from the ruins, authorities say.

Efforts to identify bodies were being hampered by their decomposition, officials said, adding that relief workers were taking DNA samples from the victims to match with relatives.

Many bodies were found in the staircases. Panicked workers had raced to stairwells in a rush to get out of the building after hearing a loud noise but the compound collapsed within five minutes, trapping them, officials said.

The disaster was the latest in a string of deadly accidents to hit the nation's textile industry. Last November, a factory fire killed 111 garment workers.

A preliminary government investigation blamed the collapse on the vibrations of giant electricity generators. Police have arrested 12 people including the complex's owner and four garment factory owners in connection with the disaster.

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Dutch probe baby milk sales to China

THE Dutch government has ordered an investigation into persistent shortages of certain brands of baby formula, blamed on networks of traffickers who ship milk powder to China where it is sold at premium prices.

Deputy Economic Affairs Minister Sharon Dijksma ordered the Dutch Food and Consumer watchdog to probe a huge rise in demand for baby formula linked to so-called "baby milk runners", who bulk-buy powder in shops before sending it to China where it is resold to young parents fearful of local products.

"I want to gather information... over the bulk buying and trade in the Netherlands in order to inform Chinese authorities that they are getting batches of milk powder that do not conform to their regulations," Dijksma said in the statement.

There is growing concern in The Netherlands, one of Europe's leading diary producers, about a looming national shortage of infant formula, with local papers quoting shoppers saying at least two popular brands were almost impossible to find on shop shelves.

"Dutch consumers can still find baby formula, but it's getting harder and harder," Dutch Food Industry Federation (FNLI) director Philip den Ouden told AFP.

The FNLI and food retail representatives met on Monday to discuss the growing concern over shortages, saying a measure to merely restrict the number of tins of formula per customer was not enough.

Alarm bells over infant formula went off earlier this year when retailers saw a 50 per cent spike in sales figures from the last quarter of 2012, said Den Ouden.

"This was strange because the number of births in the Netherlands did not go up," he said.

An initial probe showed growing demand in China, largely driven by the memories of a 2008 scandal over Chinese formula tainted with the industrial chemical melamine, which left six children dead and affected more than 300,000 others.

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Dutch probe baby milk sales to China

THE Dutch government has ordered an investigation into persistent shortages of certain brands of baby formula, blamed on networks of traffickers who ship milk powder to China where it is sold at premium prices.

Deputy Economic Affairs Minister Sharon Dijksma ordered the Dutch Food and Consumer watchdog to probe a huge rise in demand for baby formula linked to so-called "baby milk runners", who bulk-buy powder in shops before sending it to China where it is resold to young parents fearful of local products.

"I want to gather information... over the bulk buying and trade in the Netherlands in order to inform Chinese authorities that they are getting batches of milk powder that do not conform to their regulations," Dijksma said in the statement.

There is growing concern in The Netherlands, one of Europe's leading diary producers, about a looming national shortage of infant formula, with local papers quoting shoppers saying at least two popular brands were almost impossible to find on shop shelves.

"Dutch consumers can still find baby formula, but it's getting harder and harder," Dutch Food Industry Federation (FNLI) director Philip den Ouden told AFP.

The FNLI and food retail representatives met on Monday to discuss the growing concern over shortages, saying a measure to merely restrict the number of tins of formula per customer was not enough.

Alarm bells over infant formula went off earlier this year when retailers saw a 50 per cent spike in sales figures from the last quarter of 2012, said Den Ouden.

"This was strange because the number of births in the Netherlands did not go up," he said.

An initial probe showed growing demand in China, largely driven by the memories of a 2008 scandal over Chinese formula tainted with the industrial chemical melamine, which left six children dead and affected more than 300,000 others.

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Syria internet 'restored' after blackout

SYRIA'S internet appears to have been restored after a two-day blackout, residents and state media say.

The blackout was blamed by state media on a technical fault, but activists and a watchdog accused the regime of deliberating cutting the connection to shield military operations.

In a breaking news alert, Syrian state television announced internet and communications were back up and running.

Landline phone services between Syrian provinces had also been down since Tuesday, state news agency SANA said.

US tech firms and the US State Department reported the blackout on Tuesday but did not specify any reasons for it. A similar blackout happened last November.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the blackout appeared to be a deliberate cut to help regime forces carrying out military operations.

Syria is ranked 176 out of 179 countries in a worldwide press freedom index compiled by international press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

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Nine feared dead in Italy cargo ship crash

NINE people are feared dead after a container ship crashed in Italy's busiest port of Genoa, bringing down a 50-metre control tower in an accident that revived memories of last year's Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster.

The Jolly Nero ploughed into the dock in the night during a standard manoeuvre as it was being steered to exit the port on its way to Naples with a cargo of industrial vehicles and containers.

Some of the victims were thrown into the water, while others were trapped in the tower's lift, which plunged into the sea, emergency workers said.

"Seven people died, four were injured and two are missing," Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi told parliament after visiting the scene of the tragedy.

Earlier media reports that a 50-year-old man, a telephone operator, had been pulled alive from the rubble on Wednesday were not confirmed.

Lupi said there were three possible explanations for the accident: engine failure, a problem with cables used by the two tug boats towing the ship, or bad steering and excessively high speed.

Prosecutors have placed the ship's captain and a port pilot who had been on board during the manoeuvre under investigation for multiple manslaughter and have sequestered the ship.

Prosecutor Michele Di Lecce said investigators were also looking into a possible charge of "attack on transport security" since the control tower oversaw maritime operations for the entire Liguria region of northwest Italy.

"We do not exclude that other people could be placed under investigation," he said.

The Jolly Nero was following protocol by navigating towards the control tower and should have then turned into the open sea to its next port of call but it instead hit the shore.

The crash carried echoes of the Costa Concordia tragedy last year in which 32 people were killed when a luxury liner crashed into a Tuscan island.

The Costa Concordia had been performing a risky "salute" manoeuvre close to the island of Giglio and six people face charges of manslaughter including the captain, Francesco Schettino.

Initial reports suggested the Jolly Nero, built in 1976, had suffered a mechanical failure.

The company's fleet has been involved in a series of incidents around the world in recent years, including in South Africa and Egypt.

A report by Il Fatto Quotidiano daily said the company's ships had been tied to episodes of toxic waste trafficking in the past.

Rescue divers were still searching the inky waters around the port. Others were using dogs trained to find people in earthquake zones to see if any survivors might be trapped under the rubble.

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